Face mask



DISS FACE MASK Filed Feb. 2, 194,2

ALMA 0/85 INVENTQR ATTORN EYS Patented Aug. 8, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FACE MASK Alma- M. S. Diss, Seattle, Wash.

Application February 2, 1942, Serial No. 429,151

1 Claim.

I In the retail clothing trade, in the home and in the theater, it is well known that womens garments are often soiled when they are slipped over the head, due to contact with makeup commonly used on the face and throat. It is also well known that when clothing is slipped over the head, hair arrangements and facial makeup are often disarranged, causing great trouble and inconvenience. It is, therefore, an important object of my invention to provide a mask adapted to protect the face and hair of a wearer from being unduly contacted by clothing being slipped over the head, and at the same time to prevent the clothing from contacting facial makeup, ointments, hair oils and the like.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a face mask that is easily constructed and simple to use, to the end that it may be produced at a low cost and will have an appeal to prospective purchasers or users.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mask for the face in which a membranous cup, that may be transparent, is adapted to be positioned over the face and retained there by a snood which also serves to bind or enclose the hair.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of a mask comprising a cup-like face portion adapted to be engaged under the chin and over the face of a wearer and including means for retaining it in place and at the same time also having associated means for enclosing the hair of the head.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparent during the course of a reading of the following specification and of the subjoined claim. While I set forth and describe a specific form of my invention, it will be apparent that changes and alterations in size, shape and general arrangement of parts may be made within the scope of the claim.

In the views of the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of my face mask as it appears from the front when worn, and

Figure 2 is a perspective view taken slightly from the rear of my mask.

The numeral l designates a face cup which may be formed to the shape shown by having the edge gathered as at 12 or by being preformed in any suitable and conventional molding process. It is preferable that the material employed in the cup be a transparent membrane to permit the wearer of the mask to have vision outward at all times. Another desirable characteristic of the material suitable for the cup is that it be impervious, or substantially so, to moisture, oils, greases and the like. I have shown at M breather holes that facilitate theingress and egress of air when the mask is worn.

The edge of the cup is usually provided with a binder or edge strip I6 useful in imparting a firmness and strength to the cup and for retaining its shape. In the case of the cup formed from a sheet of flexible material having the edges gathered, the binding should be fairly firm to prevent distortion during wear and the like.

On the upper edge portion of the cup I attach a net or snood I8 adapted to enclose the hair and to retain it from disarray when clothes are slipped over the head of the wearer of the cup. This net may be stretchable or inherently resilient so that the hair will be firmly retained and so that it may be stretched to remove the cup without mussing the hair.

As an auxiliary retaining means for the cup, I may also employ the strap 20 which may take the form of a loop that is joined to opposed points on the cup-edge, and is adapted to pass behind the head of the wearer. In the form shown in the drawing the strap 20 is elastic or resilient so that it may readily be stretched so that it can be slipped over the head well outside the hair arrangement and then will contract to a close fit with the cranium. In another form, equally useful, the strap 20 may be divided and the ends tied or knotted together when the cup and snood are in place.

In forming the cup I0, I have found that it is preferable that a chin cup ll be formed in the lower portion and depressed below the binding so that persons having pointed or elongated chins can comfortably wear the mask. In this way, the mask is adapted so that the lower binding or edge will lit up under the jaw-bone in a snug manner and will not readily be displaced.

A gusset 22 between each end of the strap 20 and the binding of the cup serves to strengthen this juncture and to prolong the useful life of the cup.

In putting the mask to use, the snood is stretched or expanded by inserting the hands and spreading the fingers. In the case of the resilient strap, this will be stretched at the same time. The lower cup portion I I is slipped over the chin and the upper edge of the cup is brought up close to the forehead at approximately the hair line. The snood is then slipped over the hair to enclose the same. When the strap retaining means comprises tie straps, they are then tied or knotted as tight as comfortable and the mask will stay iency by employing resilient threads of Lastex; or the like woven into the structure during the netting process. The shape and size of the snood should be such that it will readily accommodate a wide range of wearers head sizes and a wide.

variety of hair arrangements.

My actual experience with this invention teaches me that a material ideally suited for the faoe'cup is Pliofilm which is strong, heat resistant, impervious and inflexible as well as transparent. Of course, other materials having similar characteristics will be equally useful and may be employed without altering the invention. Such materials as may alternately be used are Cellophane voile, netted fabrics, and woven silk materials and their substitutes.

I claim;

A shield for the face, comprising: a cup formed of transparent flexible material and having a size and shape to enclose the front and sides of the face from below the chin to approximately the hair line, said cup having a non-extensible edge binding to retain the cup shaped against distortion, a resilient strap joined to said cup edge at opposite points adjacent a wearers ears,

said strap to pass behind the wearer's head and to retain the cup edge to the face without drawing the cup material into intimate contact with the face, and a snood attached to and extending between said'strap and the upper portion .of the cup edge to enclose the hair of a person wearing said shield, said cup being perforate at least in an area adjacent the nose and mouth to permit air circulation.

ALMA M. S. DISS. 

